Rev. David Austin is the founder of a coalition of NGOs (Non-governmental organisations) that help LGBTQ people in Africa facing persecution due to their sexuality, and it is through this work that he connected with the intended recipients of the payments.
He has made a formal complaint to both Nationwide and the Financial Ombudsman over the frozen account, which he says has put vulnerable people at risk of harm and left without any money to live on.
He told the Oldham Times: “It's frustrating for me but it's more distressing for those whose lives are in danger.”
The former chair of Oldham Pride is recently retired and was using his own money to make the payments. He lives off lump sums he received from the Church as part of his pension.
Rev. Austin only recently switched banks to Nationwide, when he began arranging the payments to individuals in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania intended for various uses, including rent, hospital fees, funeral costs and transport to a safe house.
Rev. Austin explained: “I’ve worked with sex workers, drug users and a whole number of marginalised people, trying to find out what we can do for the poorest of the poor, people who have no power, trying to give them free legal aid, trying to address the injustices and the corruption among the police and the judiciary.”
After initial attempts to send around eight payments via Western Union were blocked, he spoke to the fraud team at the Oldham Nationwide branch, who then cleared a £5,000 withdrawal from his account.
However, he was then blocked again from sending the money by the national fraud team, despite the advice he had previously received to use chip and pin when sending the money and providing detailed information on the recipients, including documents like hospital bills.
Rev. Austin says that Nationwide’s fraud team has dismissed his evidence as fraudulent, but he has met most of the recipients himself in person while in East Africa over the summer.
Those he hasn’t met have all been referred to him via NGOs.
He said that he is more than familiar with scammers, having encountered them himself through his NGO work, adding: “Nationwide naturally assume that everyone I send money to are scammers.
“I'm quite wary and I'm working much in partnership with respected agencies, trying to discern those who are in genuine need and those who aren't.”
Rev. Austin recently had to sell his father’s gold signet ring for £140, which he sent to a friend who was facing “emotional threat” from hospital authorities over unpaid bills.
The block on his account is particularly concerning because he is moving to London at the end of the month.
He said: “The trouble is now I have no access to any funds at all. I have used my last pennies yesterday, including having to sell my father's gold signet ring.
“If I needed a pint of milk, I can't afford it, I have no money to survive for this next week. If I needed any petrol for my car, I have no money.”
The Financial Ombudsman press office confirmed to The Oldham Times that a complaint had been lodged with them regarding the frozen account.
A spokesperson for Nationwide said: “We have been in contact with the customer and confirmed that given the nature of the payments, he would be very likely to continue to experience similar issues in the future.
"With this in mind he has decided to transfer his account.”